Protector of Earth
by Gemmika
Summary: A selection of drabbles featuring Mamoru Chiba and all of his incarnations, every life, every version of the story. All prompts come from the Mamoru Chiba week event on tumblr. (Expect generous amounts of Mamo/Usa)
1. Frayed Red String

A/N: Hello all! Sorry for the disappearing act, but this summer has been insane. Well, as some of you may know, the Sailor Moon fandom on tumblr had a Mamoru Chiba week last week to celebrate the birthday boy. I wrote a few drabbles (all under 1000 words) for the event and thought that I'd post them here too. I have four so far, but there were 40 prompts on the official list and eventually I'd like to do them all. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy some Mamo-centric stories! :D

This first drabble used the prompt "Destiny" and was posted for the "Parallel Universe" day. It takes place in Act 8 of the manga/Crystal and then diverges a bit...

From where he stood on the tower, Mamoru watched helplessly as Sailor Moon, his Usako, faced off against a cold looking man with long silver hair and cold gray eyes. She jumped in front of her friends, willing to sacrifice herself for them if necessary. But he couldn't let her do that, not if he could redeem himself and save her now.

 _Usako… I_ __ _ **will**_ _protect you. This time, I_ _ **won't**_ _fail!_

Her parting kiss still warm on his lips, he jumped up, desperate to make it in time to save her. As he reached side, he threw out his cape to shield them from the blast of green energy and wrapped his arms around her. The blow rocked them both, sending them flying onto the top of the tower where they landed with a painful jolt.

"Usako, are hurt?" His voice was panicked, terrified that he had reached her too late. He touched her face and let out a sigh of relief when she opened those clear blue eyes he loved so much.

"Mamo… you saved me." Awe shone from her eyes as she reached out to touch his face as well. "Why would you risk your life after I told you to get to safety?"

"Because I…" How could she not know? Couldn't she see the truth in his eyes when he looked at her? Wasn't it obvious that she and she alone was all he wanted? He opened his mouth to try and confess his love for her, but the sky had gone a blindingly brilliant white and both he and Usagi couldn't stop themselves from turning to find the source.

Where the other sailor scouts had been a few moments before, a new ball of light had broken away and was hovering just above them. A beautiful girl with long silvery blonde hair, wearing a dress of purest white, was suspended in the ball. In her hands was a crystal, and that was what was emitting the light. It shone brighter than the moon, brighter than the sun. It was a light so intense that you couldn't look away, even as it blinded you with its radiance.

"I command you, by the power of the legendary silver crystal, to return where you came from," the girl demanded, her blue eyes shining with a fierce determination. The crystal began to glow even brighter and a beam of light concentrated and went shooting toward the silver haired man and the woman at his side. Before the light could reach them, a portal appeared behind them and the two disappeared through it immediately.

Mamoru couldn't take his eyes off the crystal in the girl's hands. After the enemy had departed, the light began to dim, though the crystal still shined with a warmth that pulled at something within him. Could it be… was it the legendary silver crystal?

Gently the girl floated down to the small platform where he still had Usagi wrapped in his arms. He recognized her as the girl from the other night, the one that the white cat had called "Princess Serenity." As she walked gracefully to their side, her eyes meeting his, a thousand memories assaulted him at once. He knew this girl better than he knew himself, knew everything about her. She was his soulmate.

"Serenity…" he whispered.

"Endymion," she replied, her voice caressing his name. It brought with it more memories, more feelings, more everything.

Usagi tightened her hold on his arm, bringing him back to the present. "Mamo? What's going on? How do you know the princess?"

He turned back to the girl in his arms, the girl that he would risk his life for a million times over. His Usako. His heart.

 _Dammit._


	2. For You

A/N: Hello again! I thought I'd bring you the second story in the Mamo drabble collection. I'm actually super fond of this one, it takes place during my all time favorite arc of the manga (Dream Arc). It's the shortest one of the group so far, but hopefully that doesn't take away from the emotions during this time in the story. Anyway, for this story I used the prompt "Control" and it was posted on the "Mamoru Fights Back" day, where we were encouraged to fight back against all the horrible things people always say about Mamo. So, with that said... hope you can enjoy it!

The moment he heard the click of the door as Usagi left the apartment, Mamoru let out a sigh of relief before coughing up another handful of black blood. At least he had managed to hold it back until she left. He never would have been able to keep the truth from her if she had seen the blood, and he loved her too much to let that happen. If she knew what was happening to him, she wouldn't leave his side for a moment… and what if he was contagious? Just thinking about Usagi in the same weakened state had him in a panic. She was the only one who could keep the world safe, he couldn't let his desire to keep her at his side take her from her duty.

He fell back against his pillows and closed his eyes. If he was completely honest with himself, it had taken almost all the control he had left to turn Usagi away. When he heard her cheerful voice calling out to him, his heart had yearned for her. He wanted nothing more than to have her curl up in bed next to him and feed him that bento she had brought. Turning her away, seeing that rejected look in her eyes, was almost more painful than the disease eating away at his lungs. He hated seeing anything but a smile on her face, and knowing that it was his fault that she was hurting now…

Mamoru clutched at his chest as another round of coughing shook his body. More blood spattered on his hands, coating his fingers in the black tar-like substance. At this rate his body wouldn't hold out for more than another few weeks, a month at most. How was he supposed to protect what mattered to him most? And how could he possibly let Usagi face the future on her own?

No, he couldn't allow himself to think like that. Usagi could handle things on her own. She was strong and capable, more than he could ever be. He didn't doubt she would be lonely without him, but she had her friends to help guide and protect her. With or without him, she would become Neo Queen Serenity and guide their world into a peaceful future. He couldn't let his own selfish desires stop that from happening. The world needed her… so he had to let her go.

"I'm doing it for you, Usako," he whispered hoarsely, clenching his fist around the blood in his hand. He would keep his distance from her. He would keep her safe. It was the only way he could protect her with this weak body.

He just hoped she could forgive him.


End file.
